Max: The Everyday Hero
by AntisocialGamer
Summary: This is my take on the ending of "Life is Strange" that I wanted to share with everyone. I hope you guys like it, and just so you know, I don't take criticism. :)
1. Chapter 1

"No, I can't make this choice!"

"No, Max. You're the only one that can."

Those words. The so called final words of the blue haired friend of Maxine Caulfield seem to have gotten all over her head. She just couldn't believe what was going on right now. Arcadia Bay. her home, was just minutes away from being eaten up by the storm she had caused. The storm that would kill hundreds. The storm. That was created from the many times she had tried to save Chloe. Her best friend and love that was very close to accepting her fate.

Death.

After everything she has done to keep the punk alive, she was going to die either way. Whether the brunette liked it or not. And she hated it. She hated it so much that she wanted to attack something. Anything. She felt. Broken.

Like all she has done for her friend has been for nothing. And not to mention, Mr. Jefferson's reveal only made matters worse. From her almost getting hit by a train to her getting shot in the head. It only made her question about her fate all together. Soon, she started to ask herself the number one question of all of this.

Why? Why out of all the citizens of Arcadia Bay. Out of everyone who were close to death. Was she the only one that was perfectly okay.

Chloe has died many times, well almost. Warren even had his shares of almost dying, Kate nearly committed suicide and Nathan died from the hands of Mr. Jefferson. Soon, him and Victoria will have their moment to come face to face with a horrible death. Yet. Not her. Max would probably live a peaceful life until she grows old and breathes her final breath. Which is good and all, but when she thought about it, she didn't want that sort of life. The life where she would be lonely. She wanted her friends to live. She wanted them to have good lives. But of course that would never happen...

That is if she wanted to do what her mind was ordering her to at the second. Save Arcadia Bay and Chloe.

But sacrifice yourself.

A very risky idea indeed. But it might actually work when she thought about it. All she had to do was help the citizens to safety. Take them out of the city and... And just say goodbye to Chloe one more time if she can. She could just let her survive and take her place into the afterlife. Make it be like they had never met. Or like, she was never there. Either way, it would mean safety to all. To the Blackwell students and her friends. She didn't matter what the cost of doing so would be. As long as everyone was safe. As long as they kept breathing.

She had to do this. She had to make this one last commitment to her home. To her. Family.

"It's your choice. And I know you will make the right one," She heard from her punk friend before sighing to herself. She took in the scenery of destruction for a while. The devastating storm that came towards her home town made her want to vomit in a way. It made her want to cry. It made her want to just die already at how things have just changed. It was disgusting. So disgusting that she just couldn't take it anymore, she had to close her eyes. And through the sound of winds blowing harshly around her, she replied to Chloe with a quiet no.

"What?!" The teen asked out loud, causing the other teen to turn to her with a face of horror mixed with anger.

"Chloe," She called out. "I won the everyday hero contest for one reason. And it's not because of those stupid photos!" She shouted to the top of her lungs while waving around the picture of the blue butterfly she had, the one that caused all of this, in front of the blue haired in rage. She had so much rage though that in just seconds, she tore the picture in half to her friend's surprise. "Damn it, it was because I have a gift. And that gift wasn't time travel. It was the fact that I am a hero. I'm everyone's hero... I'm your hero... And that's why I can't do this."

"Max, yes you can. It's easy, you can just-."

"Too late. I tore it up. And besides, I have to do what my heart is telling me to."

"Max, w-what are you saying?" Chloe asked in a shaking voice, but Max was too busy looking at the ground, thinking to herself. Soon, the brunette didn't have to say anything. The blue haired could already tell what she was thinking. Or at least get a clue as to what it was. And it wasn't a good one at all since it made her eyes wide in horror and her mouth suddenly drop to the floor. She couldn't do it, she thought. She just couldn't. So she grabbed her friend by the shoulders and yelled out, "You are not going to do this! I won't let you!"

"It's the only way, Che. Besides, the storm is not that far away. But it will definitely give me enough time to help everyone else."

"But Max! What about you- W-What if this doesn't work!?"

"It will. I promise."

"No it won't! I know how these things go down and they're not good at all! Think about this- Think about the state you are putting yourself in!"

"I am," Max smiled at Chloe, causing her to be lost into her eyes one last time by the shade of blue they gave off. The feeling of determination it had too. But not of happiness at the minute. Just of sadness and guilt. Before she could convince her one more time, the brunette touched the teen's face lightly and continued, "Chloe, you have to let me do this."

"Please," The blue haired pleaded with watery eyes. The ones that made Max just want to do the same, yet she didn't. She just kept her smile on. "Rachel left me. And I can't lose you as well."

"Chloe... You will never be alone. I'll always be with you. I let you go once, and I'm not going to do it again. I know this will be critical. But I have to do this. For Warren. For Victoria. For Nathan. For that fuck, Mr. Jefferson... And for you. the one I have always loved."

The teen couldn't take anymore. She had finally broke down into tears at what was about to happen. She let the water work down her cheeks and onto the already soaked ground below with quiet whimpers. She pleaded in a stutter, "Max, please. I-I-."

But before she could continue, her speech was cut off by a pair of lips. Max's lips. And it formed into a kiss. But not one that was only meant to be for a dare. No. This kiss was more better then the last one as it was filled with passion and care. But at the same time, filled with sorrow. Angst. Grief. Yet, they didn't care because the kiss went on for a little longer until Max broke it softly and whispered, "I have to go. They need me..."

With those last words, Chloe wiped her eyes and tried to stay confident for her friend even though this was going to be the last time she would see her. She held up a smile on her face and whispered back, "Good luck. Super Max."

"I'll need it... Goodbye..."

"... Goodbye..." With that, the girls parted their ways as Max ran down the hill and into the town below that was getting closer and closer to the storm. But she didn't care. She had people to save. People who needed her. So she ran through the screaming crowd of people and did her best to calm them down. Which didn't work until Chloe's step father had helped with a simple gunshot. After telling them an idea she had, the citizens didn't even try to argue about it. Instead, they did exactly what she said and followed her to Blackwell high school.

To the buses.

When everyone made it in one peace, the brunette told the principal that it would be smart if they were to use all their buses to get out of the town and use the big bumblebee like vehicles to get out of the place. He almost argued until the people of Arcadia Bay and their mayor argued that he was acting rude and wouldn't do so. So what did they do. Well, what goes around comes around. The Mayor made the police snatch the keys to the transportation and drove almost all the citizens out of the town. Justice was served. And Max liked it.

That was until she heard a male scream from a far. She followed the source of sound only to find herself entering the boys dorm and stopping at the restroom, where the callings of help continued to go on and on. There was someone trapped in the chaos and she had to get them out of there anyway possible. She just had to. So she kicked the door, which didn't work at all, just hurt her foot. But that still didn't that stop her from trying to do so again and again. She kept kicking and kicking until the door finally fell down to her surprise and out came the boy who was trapped.

Warren, in a cold sweat.

"Are you okay, Warren?!" She asked, earning a nod from him.

"I'm fine. I was just trying to see if anyone else was in trouble but. I guess I locked myself in the bathroom. Heh heh."

"Yeah. Um, there's one more bus about to leave, maybe you should get on it."

"I will. Are you gonna come with me?"

"No. I-," Max almost told Warren about what she was going to do until it hit her head like a brick that if she did, he would try to stop her. And she really didn't feel like stopping at the minute. She really had to finish all of this. And she wasn't in the mood for any more protests. To save time and her cover, she told him, "I'm gonna see if there's anyone else in the building. You just get on that bus quickly."

"But-."

"NOW, WARREN!" With only that certain outburst, the boy ran right outside to the others and headed for the exit of Arcadia Bay. Max ran around the school as fast as she could for any students. There was none to her surprise but relief. So she headed for the next location. The town. She dashed through the wreckage to see if anyone else was stuck in a tough pickle. But no one was in sight. That was until a certain dirty blonde called out loud for help through the roars of lighting around both of them. And that dirty blond was none other then.

Joyce Price, Chloe's mom.

And she seemed to be stuck between the sign of her diner and the ruble underneath her. Max had no choice but to check it out. So she ran towards the woman to check out the scene. There was no blood, thank god. But it looked like it would be a huge problem for her to get her out of this situation. But hey. It wouldn't hurt to try right. Besides, this was her best friend's mother after all. She had to get hurt out of here. She just had to.

"Oh Max! Thank god you're still here. I need to get out of this!" The lady stated out loud in horror to the teen while trying to get out of the tight spot, only resulting in loud screeches of pain.

"Don't move," Max told her in a calm tone. "I'll get you out of this." Joyce said thank you a couple of times as the teen tried her best to lift up the sign on top of the lady. It seemed like a problem for how much it actually weighted. To be honest, she thought she could never get the mother of Chloe out of the chaos. But never say never. She just couldn't give up. This was her best friend's mother for Christ sakes! So she continued to put all of her muscle into holding up the sign, until she was able to get it up to a reasonable height and help Joyce out. The two shared a hug before Max pulled away quickly and yelled, "The storm is getting closer and I bet David is still here. I need you to get to the school asap and find him."

"But what about you?"

The brunette looked down for a second before answering in a whisper, "I'm not going."

"What?! Max, yes you are! I can get you a ride. David can ride you. Hell, I can call Chloe if she still has her cell and-."

"Please... I. I need to see if everyone is really out of town. I-I need to do something before I go! And all I need for you to do is not care about where I am until the storm is gone."

"But-."

"PLEASE! JUST GO! GO FIND CHLOE AND DAVID AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Joyce stared at the young girl in shock from her outburst. But at this moment, she had to ask herself. What else could she possibly do to convince her? To convince everyone? She could tell she was hurting. But she could also tell that Max really had something to do. Something. Personal. Even though it broke her heart, she hugged the teen quickly and yelled before walking away, "Please be safe!"

"I will!" With that, a police car finally came to the lady's aid. David's police car. Max couldn't see but they were having a conversation. And she could tell it was about her. She could tell David wanted the girl to come along, but his wife told him not to and just to drive away. He almost protested until the brunette called out to them, "I'll be fine!... And Joyce, David. Tell Chloe that everything will be okay. And. That I love her..."

"I will," The woman replied one last time before she drove out of Arcadia Bay along with all the other citizens.

This was it. The town was finally abandoned. Forgotten. And only one teenager. Max Caulfield. Stayed there to look at the storm face to face. This was her destiny. For all of her anger and determination to be put into this one natural disaster. To be hit by her emotions in one single swap of a tornado. She would think Karma really kicked her in the ass this time. But instead. This felt. Good. It felt refreshing. She was ready for the consequences. She was ready for this moment.

She was ready to die.

And before she died, all she could do was close her eyes, breath in and out slowly.

And sing one last song...

 _Unforgettable_

 _That's what you are,_

 _Unforgettable_

 _Tho' near or far._

 _Like a song of love that clings to me,_

 _How the thought of you does things to me._

 _Never before_

 _Has someone been more..._

 _Unforgettable_

 _In every way,_

 _And forever more_

 _That's how you'll stay._

 _That's why, darling, it's incredible_

 _That someone so unforgettable_

 _Thinks that I am_

 _Unforgettable, too._

 _Unforgettable_

 _In every way,_

 _And forever more_

 _That's how you'll stay._

 _That's why, darling, it's incredible_

 _That someone so unforgettable_

 _Thinks that I am_

 _Unforgettable, too._

 _"Good bye, Arcadia Bay. Good bye, guys. Good bye..._

 _Chloe..."_

 **Don't worry, there's still more and I promise it's not sad at all! Epilogue coming soon... :)**


	2. Epilogue

Max opened her eyes to find the deep blue sky above her. The same sky she would adore for it's bright shining sun and it's cotton ball shaped clouds that blocked out the light on some occasions.

If she had her camera, she would take a nice photo of it. Actually, she would be in awe at the background in front of her. But instead, all she felt was confusion. Not to mention, she could feel something covering her body. What was the object that was doing so? A black jacket. One that can easily be mistaken for her best friend's. Or. Maybe it was her's.

But that would be impossible, the brunette thought. It shouldn't be here. And if she thought deeper into the subject, she wasn't supposed to feel anything period. If she remembered, she was in front of a deadly storm. She had saved hundreds and the cost was her life. She was supposed to be dead. Who knows, maybe she was. This was probably heaven, right? It had to be.

Max lifted herself up slowly to see a more extraordinary view. Where she was at was a forest right next to a huge river that ran all the way across from her left and right. The trees were so alive, the body of water seemed to be crystal clear and the birds chirping around her made things more breath taking. The teen really wished she had had her camera now, but she didn't throw a fit about it. She just took all of it in by using her international camera. Her brain. That was until she heard the sound of splashes erupting from the water in a rhythm, throwing her back into reality. The sound came yet again from the right of the brunette, far away at the end of a not so long dock. Who was it?

A stranger. One wearing a dark blue beanie, a white t-shirt with the straps of a black bra being revealed to the whole world and jeans with what looked like two black strips held by both ends of the person's jeans. Not to mention, the person seemed to be a girl figure with. Bracelets and a detailed tattoo on her arm and. Blue hair... By then, Max could definitely tell who this 'stranger' was.

Chloe Price.

What was she doing at the minute? Causing the sound of splashing water by skipping small rocks across the river between her and the other half of the forest. She was also whispering to herself about keeping calm a couple of times. But other then that, she seemed like her typical self. And her friend was really happy about that.

But what she wasn't happy about was the fact that she was here. That she was still alive. That Chloe. Must have saved her... That made the teen kind of pissed off. She wanted to accept death. To let everyone live in peace without her. Not to stay alive and continue what might be a chain reaction of death wherever she goes. But as much as she was upset about what was going on, she couldn't help but go talk to the blue haired friend of hers. To see what was really going on. To get some details on the others. To see if she was okay.

So Max quietly walked over to Chloe so she wouldn't hear and in a instant, hugged her from behind, whispering, "Hey." She couldn't see the other girl's face, but she could tell she was smiling in joy right now. Or was she? What felt like a nice moment for them to have a casual talk soon turned into a passionate hug when the punk style girl turned around and held her best friend tightly. All the brunette could hear now was the water near her move smoothly through the rocks below them and small sniffles from her bff. She almost asked how the girl was until Chloe blurted out,

"Don't ever do that again..."

Max wanted to say she wouldn't do so, but her mind went wondering. She wanted to know what happened so badly. How she got here? Why she had on her friend's jacket? Why was she still alive? The teen then replied to the blue haired, "Chloe. What happened?"

"I saved you, stupid," She continued while breaking the hug to see the other's face which was filled with confusion. "I just saw you still in the town and I came to your rescue, my damsel in distress." She tried to joke around with the matter, but it didn't seem to work since Max lightly pushed the girl away and shook her head in disbelief.

"No. You weren't supposed to do that."

"Why? You would rather want me to watch my best friend die from a storm of emotions or whatever?"

"Well, you could've turned away and drove right out of Arcadia Bay. Then you wouldn't have to witness my tragic death."

"What do you mean, Caulfield," Chloe questioned with crossed arms and a face that was filled with happiness replaced with one filled of irritation.

"I mean you could've just left me. Not do something dangerous as try to save me."

"Max, you know I couldn't just let you die."

"No, Chloe," She yelled at her with sudden anger in her voice. "I was supposed to be sucked up into that storm. Die in the worst possible way so you wouldn't see my face again."

"What the hell is your problem? I saved your ass. If anything, you should be thanking me for being your hard headed friend!"

"Fine. Thank you, Chloe. Thank you for ruining my plans!"

"You are so welcome."

"You just don't get it, do you!? I was supposed to be killed. Be in the afterlife right now while you and everyone dance in joy at the fact that you're all still alive! But instead, I'm still here! I tried to change destiny by trading my soul for yours! I'm supposed to be dead instead of you! So I can stop these deaths I always cause! These painful tears that always run down my face. I was supposed to stop the sick jinx that's running through my blood! But no! Apparently, I'm still alive! I'm still here! And so long as I'm here, death will keep on following me! You want that, Chloe?! You want a life filled with nothing but pain? Well here you go! A life with nothing but suffering due to yours truly! I hope your happy!"

After that certain outburst, all Chloe could do was look at her best friend with her eyes filled with fear. She never knew Max felt like that this whole time. She always thought she was doing the right thing by saving her best friend from sudden death. But turns out, she was only screwing up what she had planned out. It was another one of her screw ups and she wasn't proud of it. She wanted to let her anger out on something. Anything. But instead. She just watched as the brunette in front of her cried softly to herself. As she let her tears flow from the corners of her eyes all the way down to the wooden ground, causing them to fall into the river and merge with it delicately.

All the girl could do was sit down and cry. Cry as hard as she could. That was until the blue haired sat right next to her and held her in a warm embrace. The only thing heard around the two was the soft whimpers of Max that felt like carried on and on to Chloe. But the whimpers soon died out thanks to the touch of the punk friend's hand on the other's back and the soft shushing she delivered. Not long after that, the older teen blurted out to the younger one,

"I'm sorry... I-I'm sorry I ruined everything. To be honest, you should've just let me die instead. Don't forget, no one would've missed me. Only my mom, step dad and you. But other then that. No one else... But you? Max. If you was to die in that storm, everyone would've missed you. And I mean everyone. All of Arcadia Bay. The students, the workers. Warren, Kate, Victoria. I can't believe I'm saying this, but even Mr. Jefferson would've missed you as well. And don't forget. I would cry all day and night if you was gone..."

The brunette lifted up her head to have her eyes connect with Chloe's blue ones. This time it wasn't filled with fear. It was filled with passion but at the same time a little bit of guilt. In a way, Max knew she couldn't let her friend down at the minute. She couldn't make her feel like she was ignored. So she signaled the girl to go on and get to the point in a polite manner.

"What I'm trying to come at is that the world wouldn't be right without you, Max. I wouldn't know what to do with myself without you. Through these past days, I've been trying to see the best of you. And that's what I got. And like you said, it wasn't because of your powers. It was because you was caring and heart warming and determined about everything you did. Where will anyone find another person like you if you was gone? No one would, Max. No one... To tell you the truth. When you left me by the lighthouse, I really wanted to do what you said and get the hell to safety. But I couldn't. My heart was telling me to go and find you. I was this close to leaving, Max. But I came back. I went through what felt like hell and back for you. I just found you passed out on the floor and went for the opening. You wanna know why?"

The teen thought for a minute until she nodded, earning the most heart warming answer she would ever get from Chloe.

"It's because... Because I care about you, Max. You are everything to me. You are my day and night. You are the star in the sky that sparkles brighter then any other one. You are my lucky charm. You are the apple in my eye. My one and only... Max... I... I love you. I will never stop trying to do the impossible just for you. When I do is that day that I should be in a grave and not you. I'll never leave you alone. Sorry, but I love you too much to lose you... I will never. Ever. Stop loving you..."

Max stared at the girl for what felt like hours until her eyes started to water yet again. This time, it wasn't filled with tears of sadness. It was tears of joy. Tears that she couldn't help but just be released. So she let them flow slowly to Chloe's surprise, making her think she had done something wrong. Until the brunette smiled at her warmly and responded,

"I love you too, Chloe..."

With that, the blue haired knew exactly what to do. She touched her friend's face gently, pulled her close and kissed her ever so gently. Max soon kissed back after a while and made the kiss more romantic by running her hands into Chloe's blue hair underneath her beanie and pressing her lips onto hers harder. The older teen soon did the same thing for a while until the moment ended due to the brunette pulling away for air.

"... I'll never leave you, Chloe," Max whispered to her, causing the girl to smile then kiss her forehead and replied, "Me neither..."

The two of them sat there at the dock and looked out into the river peacefully. As they did, they talked about how everyone survived the storm and only a few got injured. Chloe also told her friend that the young teen's parents would have no problem with the two going to Seattle to settle down for a while until things get better. But the brunette just told her friend it would be better if they just went wherever the road took them. And that's exactly what they were going to do.

So the teens walked through the forest back to the blue haired's beat up truck to drive around. As the older teen started the engine, a scene caught Max;s attention before they left.

A deer stared at her blankly for a second. But it seemed to be staring into her soul in a way. And unlike the other times when things occur, she wasn't freaked out about it. She just let it go. And as she did, a blue butterfly, similar to the one she took a pick of what felt like a long time ago, landed on the deer's back peacefully. Suddenly, in a way, it made the brunette smile. It made her feel. Hopeful. Like this was a symbol. A symbol of life.

Finally, Chloe drove the pickup truck down the road as Max still looked at the animals. They followed them down the road side by side until the deer and butterfly jumped in harmony back into the forest. With that, she laid back in her seat and let her friend drive her vehicle wherever she wished to. She knew that this week was a total mess and that there will be other obstacles in the future. But just like that butterfly and deer. Just like that pair, she knew she could get past all the rough times that dared to try to stop her and Chloe. Because they both know in a way, that nothing and no one will never separate them ever again. As long as they are together.

It's true. Life is strange. But it can be the best thing that would ever happen to you. As long as you always remember.

 _You are never alone..._

 **And so that was my ending of "Life is Strange". Truth be told, I really love the game, I just hated the endings I had to pick is all. Anyway, this was my first story, so I hope you guys like it. Btw, this won't be my last one if you guys are thinking that. I have some ideas for some LIS fanfics and maybe for others, but I'll just try to focus on LIS for now. Until then, I hoped you enjoyed "Max: The Everyday Hero".**


End file.
